Hearts in Trouble
by Lothiriel84
Summary: Once upon a time there were two troubled hearts. This is their story. - Title borrowed from the namesake song by Chicago. There might be slight spoilers for "Red Dawn". Cover image courtesy of Brown Eyes Parker.


_**Author's note:** Written for the Mentalist Big Bang on LJ. A huge thank you to my artist Brown Eyes Parker and to my wonderful beta tromana.**  
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**Hearts in Trouble**

Once upon a time, there was a boy whose heart was aching for love. His greatest desire was to love someone and be loved in return.

Unfortunately, his father wasn't able to give him anything of the kind. His mother was nothing more than a few sparse memories that he had desperately clung onto.

He'd had to lie and deceive people ever since he remembered. That's what he and his father did for a living. He was given no other choice.

The boy was desperate to find someone he could trust. Except that he didn't. He was all alone in a world where other people were just marks.

xxx

Far away across the country, there was a girl with a merry heart. Her life was perfect until that fateful night came. The night when her mother didn't come home anymore, everything changed.

Her father took to drinking, and she was left to raise her three younger brothers alone. All she could do was devote herself entirely to that task.

Her childhood was over far earlier than most of girls of her age. Perhaps, she wasn't even aware of that.

xxx

The lonely boy had turned into a lonely young man.

He'd had to harden his heart in order to survive. Carnie life wasn't an easy one, but he'd get used to it somehow.

Until one day he came across the loveliest young woman he'd ever seen. His heart leaped in his chest when she greeted him for the first time and invited him in for a cup of tea.

Tea had never tasted that good in all of his life.

It was in front of another cup of tea, some months later, that he asked her to be his wife. She chuckled softly at his untimely proposal. He got the shock of his life when she unexpectedly said yes.

xxx

The girl and her three brothers had grown up too.

Finally, she didn't need to play surrogate mother to them anymore.

She went to college, and there met a boy. Perhaps she wasn't wildly in love with him, but she was thrilled to have someone's undivided attention for a change.

One day he dropped on his knee before her, wielding a beautiful solitaire ring. Nervously she accepted it, but only because he'd taken her by surprise.

Two weeks later she scribbled a quick note and left it on his nightstand, along with the engagement ring.

She knew she was going to break his heart, but she just couldn't do it.

xxx

The young man held a daughter in his arms sooner than he'd ever expected. His heart was bursting with joy at the sight of the precious little thing he and his wife had created together.

Sometimes he thought that being a father was exactly what he'd been looking for throughout his whole existence, no matter whether he'd been aware of it or not.

Each time he tucked his child into her crib he whispered sweet words in her tiny ear. She was safe, she was loved, and she was wise.

And his heart was at peace.

xxx

The young woman had graduated and become a very promising rookie with the Sac P.D.

Being a cop was one of her dreams come true. Her boss was pleased with her and her development.

The only flaw in her life was that she'd fallen for a married man. Not that either of them would ever act on it. She respected him and his wife way too much.

Perhaps it was safer that way.

This time she wouldn't need to run away. There was no chance for her heart to break if she kept on avoiding any commitment.

xxx

There had always been a good dollop of recklessness in the man's behavior.

Then, he took a false step. It was one that he was going to regret for the rest of his miserable life.

He cried his heart out when he realized what his rash words had just done to his beloved wife and daughter.

Except that he didn't have a heart anymore, but a thousand shards of glass instead.

It took him six months before coming to some semblance of life again.

Now, he had a heart of stone as a burden in his chest and it was set on revenge.

xxx

Bringing murderers to justice was what the woman did for a living nowadays. However, it wasn't simply a job for her; it was more of a mission, somehow. Bringing murderers to justice was a relief for her troubled heart. She felt like she was helping the victims' families to find some measure of peace. Unfortunately she couldn't bring their loved ones back from the dead, but still it was something.

It had to be enough.

xxx

The broken man took an instant liking to the petite mender that was now standing in front of him.

He could see she was way stronger than him and there was something about her eyes that made him trust her implicitly. Good, honest, caring eyes. They managed to ease the trouble in his heart, at least for a short while.

They supplied him with some semblance of comfort that he had desperately needed for so long now.

xxx

No cop would have been happy to have a victim's relative following them around during a case.

The boss of the Serious Crime Unit was no exception.

And yet, he looked so fragile and lost. She felt compelled to do her best in order to help him. He didn't follow her advice though. But he looked grateful enough.

The first time he hugged her was one of the most awkward moments of her entire life.

Then she saw him fast asleep on that piece of junk he'd dragged in from somewhere; she'd never noticed the brown leather couch lying vertically against a wall of the evidence room.

A warm, heartfelt smile finally crept to her face.

xxx

The man was charming enough when he wanted. That, eventually, earned him the friendship of his little lady cop.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a real friend, if ever. It was quite nice for a change. Actually, he liked her. She was stubborn, loyal, and a bit of a firecracker.

Sometimes he found himself hoping that their friendship could last in spite of his drive for revenge. He would never have made it that far hadn't been for the feisty woman constantly at his side.

xxx

She kept on sticking to him through thick and thin, despite her better judgment. For she had a heart of gold that didn't let her do otherwise.

They were friends. And friends were supposed to always be there for each other, no matter what. Even if he drove her mad sometimes. She even ignored the fact her job was constantly on the line, courtesy of his crazy schemes.

No way was she going to lose him to the madman that seemed determined to make his life a living hell.

She simply wouldn't allow it.

xxx

In the end, the man's determination faltered in the crucial moment.

He wasn't going to choose revenge over the life of his best friend. Those few seconds were enough for her to step in and take charge of things.

The bastard who'd slaughtered his precious family wasn't going to die at his hands anymore.

Oddly enough, he felt relieved.

He wouldn't have liked to spend the rest of his life in jail, where he couldn't see her every day.

xxx

Any other cop would have been proud of catching one of the deadliest serial killers of history.

Of course, she was proud. However, it wasn't as important as certain other things.

What mattered more was the fact that she'd managed to save someone she cared for at long last. When he said he wasn't angry at her for what had happened, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Her heart skipped a beat when, out of the blue, he hugged her for dear life in order to prove his point.

And, for the first time since they'd met, she reciprocated fully.

Maybe even a damaged man like he was would be able to heal in time.

xxx

It was a bright morning when the slowly healing man decided that his decade-long grieving had perhaps lasted enough.

And, being a man who never followed rules one way or another, he just proposed to his friend over her first mug of coffee.

She almost choked on her favorite beverage, and stared at him as if he'd finally gone crazy. He allowed himself an affectionate smirk, for he knew that she would eventually come around.

She always did. That was why he loved her so much.

xxx

She'd always considered herself a sensible woman. That was something she'd been reconsidering of late, especially since she'd accepted her consultant's proposal.

Except that she couldn't care less about common sense anymore.

As sloppy as it sounded, looked like two hearts beating in sync was all it took to find happiness. And maybe a third – oh, so tiny! – heart that would make itself heard one day.


End file.
